I just recently closed out my Facebook account and couldn't read it there but did manage to cop same to read later. Everyone around me (meaning family) supports gay marriage. I have had some difficulty coming to grips with it. Not that my opinion matters about anything. I suppose it my upbringing.

I've thought it over. I've had another bowl of that good English cake pipe tobacco (that'll get you to thinking if nothing else about how good it is) and I have come to the conclusion, were it one of my kids who chose a partner his own sex, I'd say congratulations.

There seems to be a great deal of resistance to marriage equality mainly from people with staunch religious views. I have always considered religion to be a man-made construct to exert power over people, so I give it no credence. As others have already said, any loving relationship deserves recognition and a gay marriage has all the positives of a heterosexual marriage and also all the negatives - they are just as prone to problems, infidelity,divorce, child custody matters etc and should have all the same rules and laws applied.
I dont see any merit in the case against marriage equality - to me it is just a bunch of people trying to deny to others, an institution that they, themselves, enjoy.
These days, a great many people see no value in marriage at all and go through life living with their partner without the formality of marriage. After all, a small piece of paper will hardly glue people together - they are either committed to each other or not. If you think about it, when was the last time you heard the phrase "living in sin"? - it has faded from our vocabulary.

I agree, Hugo.It is hard for me to grasp why a civil union is not acceptable. That makes the relationship equal to marriage in law. I know some people want God's blessing, but that is a church matter, and many churches will give a blessing ceremony any way. Or you can design your own ceremony, or go back to things like jumping over a lit candle together, which I believe was once the custom. But there is something more to it, and although I can't grasp it I can't deny their right to access something available to others.

I understand that those 'living in sin' are not recognised by the government as legally married. Hence, they are denied benefits currently only afforded to people who are legally married.
Marriage equality is a concept that will allow same sex couples to become equal in the eyes of the government!

Religious pretenders are the main obstacles to equality. One can only wonder why such objectors take such a stance with a conscience?

The devil whispered, “You cannot withstand the storm“ and I replied: “I am the storm!”.....Unknown.

Same-sex unions are treated as de facto unions under Australian federal law, though each Australian state and territory is entitled to create their own laws with respect to same-sex relationship registers and same-sex partnership schemes. Civil unions and domestic partnerships are available to same-sex couples in most states and territories

De facto unions are not treated the same as marriages, and have to offer proof that it was a true union.

For a de facto partner to seek an order for property settlement, the Court must be satisfied of at least one of the following:[23]

The period of the de facto relationship was for at least two years; or
There is a child in the de facto relationship; or
The relationship is or was registered under a prescribed law of a State or Territory; or
That failure to make an order would result in serious injustice due to the significant contributions made by one party.

By way of comparison, for a married couple, it is enough merely to have been married to attract the jurisdiction of the Court for property and spousal maintenance.

I would like people to realise that if they are actually both sexes simultaneously, androgyne – they would once have been considered divine. Perhaps we are approaching that time when gender is not a point of consideration, when we realise we all vary in our gender make-up. Perhaps humanity is heading to the ‘ye are all gods’ stage!